Noclip has begun to publish a documentary series dedicated to Disco Elysium, whose deep dive into the creation process is capturing the attention of the game’s fans. The third episode of this series meticulously analyzes the writing process, while the previous episodes explored the foundation of the ZA/UM collective and the evolution of the Elysium setting, partly originated from the tabletop role-playing game and Robert Kurvitz’s novel Sacred and Terrible Air.
A game that technology could not manage
Helen Hindpere, writer of the original game and lead writer of the Final Cut version, highlights that the writing process was exceptionally prolific, which created complications in editing. Hindpere explains that, despite the quality of the content, the amount of dialogue exceeded what the Articy software could handle efficiently. “We had never had the problem of writing too much,” she mentioned, noting that in its early days, the team’s concern was to write enough. However, the challenge transformed into finding time to edit such a rich text loaded with deep themes.
For his part, Märten Rattasepp, another of the writers, noted that developing characters took an unusually long time, with some being written in a month or two, an uncommon approach in RPG development. “No one else writes things that take so long. You need to finish in three days,” he stated, illustrating the team’s dedication to the project.
The Noclip series promises to be a fundamental experience for those interested in video game development and creative writing, showcasing how meticulous attention to detail and ambitious writing can result in a critical masterpiece like Disco Elysium.
